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What if DreamWorks Pictures/DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1934?/Canceled productions by DreamWorks Studios
This is a list of unmade and/or unreleased projects by DreamWorks Studios. Some of these films were, or still are, in development limbo. These also include the co-productions the studio collaborated with in the past. Animated shorts and films 1930s-1940s Cartoons of Propaganda A series of 40-45 minute propaganda cartoon featurettes aimed at the WWII army, which was one of the collaborations with Dora Wilson Productions and the MGM cartoon department. Except with 1944's For the Victory, the series and the rest of the planned shorts later got canceled in 1945 during the end of the second World War. El Chupacabra An animated horror film planned in 1948, which would set in the ancient Mexico which would tell the darkest story about a cowardly explorer who needs a prove to the villagers to go on an scary journey to seek the existence of a Chupacabra monster. It got scrapped due to Dora Wilson disliking the idea, thinking horror genre don't fit with an animated film. Later in 1996, however it later got translated into a live-action film, which solely titled Chupacabra, but the tone was reworked into a comedy style. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus In 1939, Dora Wilson planned to develop an animated feature adaptation of L. Frank Baum's storybook of the same name, but later got scrapped for unknown reason. Then later in the mid-1950s, it was planned to be translated into a live-action feature with the collaboration with TBD, but again, its got scrapped due to creative differences. 1950s-1960s Charlotte's Web Orginally planned in the late 1960s, but canceled after Hanna-Barbera and Paramount Pictures picked up the rights to the E.B. White's book of the same name and produced a film in 1973. Danny and the Dinosaur Based on the children's book series by Syd Hoff, which tells a story about a boy and his dinosaur. Due to the studio couldn't film the rights to the book, it got canceled. The Gingerbread Man In 1958, the studio was producing a short film based on the well-known folktale of the same name, but switch to produced a full-length feature film, until it got cancled for unknown reason. TBD The Whimsical Stories of Dr. Seuss A package animated film based on stories by Dr. Seuss. It was cancelled after learning that Dr. Seuss was producing a series of TV specials based on his stories with MGM and DePatie-Freleng. Winnie-the-Pooh In the late 1950s and early 1960s, DreamWorks planned to make a version of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh book series as a feature film. The plot was following Pooh and his friends in an funny adventure to reunite with Christopher Robin, who moved out. It got scrapped after Walt Disney acquired the rights to the Pooh books and characters in 1961. 1970s-1980s Frosty Meets Rudolph A crossover animated film co-produced by Rankin/Bass, which follows an crossover story between Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer planned in early 1970s until it got canned after General Electric acquired all the rights to pre-1974 Rankin/Bass works. In 1979 however, when Rankin/Bass fully produced a television film titled Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. Hollywood Monsters Originally planned in 1983, it would've be about how a group of movie monsters who are sicken for being featured in every horror monster films in their every role and decides to create thier own studio to make their own and better films. For unknown reason, it was canceled. Pinocchio An animated feature adaptation of the well-known children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi was planned in the mid-1970s. While containing elements that were faithful to the novel, it also contained elements from Walt Disney's 1940 film, such as the Blue Fairy being responsible for Pinocchio coming to life and the Talking Cricket being Pinocchio's conscience, and new elements such as the Fox appearing without his sidekick, the Cat (who was abselt in this version) and practically generating most of the events in the film. It got scrapped due to price issues. However, Pinocchio was later used on a few cameos in Shrek and its sequel Shrek Forever After. Peter Rabbit Based on the well-known children's story by Beatrix Potter, it was planned in 1970, 1985, 1994, and 2003 until it never came to be produced. The Return of Frosty the Snowman As part of their deal with Rankin/Bass, the two studios were producing a sequel to 1969’s Frosty the Snowman. It got scrapped in 1974, after Frosty the Snowman and the other three Rankin/Bass films that're distributed by DreamWorks were sold to General Electric, along with other pre-1974 Rankin/Bass works. The sequel was turned into a television special Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, which was fully produced by Rankin/Bass in 1976. Scruffy In 1978, DreamWorks planned to collaborate with Ruby-Spears Productions to produced a theatrical animated film based on the book Scruffy: The Tuesday Dog by Jack Stoneley, which tells a story about a lost puppy who is desperate to find a better home for better life, but Ruby-Spears had no interest of making an theatrical animated film, as it refused. Ruby-Spears later fully produced a three-part television special exclusively for ABC Weekend Special program which would launched in 1980. Zorro In 1969, an animated film based on Johnston McCulley's Zorro stories was originally developed and planned to be released in 1972, but pushed to 1973, 1974 and 1975 until it got canceled. 1990s All Dogs Goes Down Under TBD Antz 2 There were plans to make a sequel to the 1998 film Antz. The film was to be produced by Pacific Data Images, the visual effects team that did the animation on the original, and was scheduled for either as direct-to-video release or as a theatrical release. The film was cancelled for unknown reasons. Horton Hears a Who! A planned traditionally animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss 1954 classic, which was supposed to be released on November 1996. It also contained some characters from other Dr. Seuss animal stories into the plot, such as Getrude McFuzz being Horton's neighbor. It got scraped due to price issues. However, 20th Century Fox and its computer animation division Blue Sky Studios adapted the story to an computer-animated film released on 2008. Many of DreamWorks' changes to Dr. Seuss' original story were coincidentally the same as the changes made by Blue Sky writers. The Jungle Book DreamWorks' version of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book was planned in 1990, in which it would compete the 1967 version of the same name which produced by Walt Disney Pictures, having a mixture of elements from both Kipling's stories and the Disney version, as well as new elements created for the film such as Shere Khan's sidekick Tabaqui being a hyena, but eventually it got canceled. McGruff the Crime Dog A planned 40-minute short film TBD Thumbelina In the late 1990s, the plans for producing a CGI film based on Hans Christen Andersen's fairytale, which would be produced by PDI, and would've featured the voice of Hailey Mills as Thumbelina. However, the film was never came to be produced. Tusker In December 1998, DreamWorks and PDI announced their third CG project (following Shrek) called Tusker. It would have been an original story chronicling a herd of elephants crossing southeast Asia. In their travels, they encounter a wide variety of dangers, including a band of marauding poachers. The film was going to be directed by Tim Johnson and Brad Lewis, the respected co-director and producer of Antz. The project was cancelled to make way for Puss in Boots. In 2008, Hong Kong animation studio Imagi Animation Studios bought the rights to make the movie. Imagi's version would've been produced by Brooke Breton and written by Ted Tally, with a release date set for the first half of 2011, but following Imagi's closure in early 2010, the film was cancelled. Son of the Lord A follow-up to The Prince of Egypt which involves the life of Jesus Christ. It then got scrapped for the favor of Joseph: King of Dreams. 2000s Bee Movie 2 While not announced by the studio, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, producer, writer, and star of the 2007 DreamWorks live-action/animated hybid film Bee Movie, said that he has no interest to make a sequel to Bee Movie. During a Reddit AMA in June 2016, a fan asked if a Bee Movie 2 would happen. Seinfeld had this to say, "I considered it this spring for a solid six hours. There’s a fantastic energy now for some reason, on the internet particularly. Tumblr, people brought my attention to. I actually did consider it, but then I realized it would make the original film less iconic. But my kids want me to do it, a lot of people want me to do it. A lot of people that don’t know what animation is want me to do it. If you have any idea what animation is, you’d never do it." The Book of Life DreamWorks initially optioned to make The Book of Life back in 2007. They decided not to continue with the project due to "creative differences" with the director. The film was eventually made at Reel FX Creative Studios and was released Fall 2014 to critical praise. Crood Awakening As part of Aardman Animation's "five-picture deal" with DreamWorks Animation, an animated film called Crood Awakening was in the early works at Aardman. Written by John Cleese and Kirk DeMicco, it would've been loosely based on the Roald Dahl book The Twits but set in the stone age. The film was cancelled due to Aardman and DreamWorks' separation in 2007 following the release of Flushed Away. Ultimately, both studios would end up making an animated movie set in the stone age: DreamWorks in 2013 with The Croods (where Cleese and DeMicco were heavily involved) and Aardman in 2018 with Early Man. Elefriend 2 In 2002, DreamWork's cult animated classic Elefriend was planned to be spawned into a direct-to-video sequel. The story would've set after the events of the first film where Alma and Elefriend, along with Alma's new parents, are going on Hawaii for a fun and relaxing vacation, while suddenly that Hawaii got invaded by a cruel group of pirates who begin robbing everything and the duo had to find the way to stop them, but the project later turned into a four-part episode for Elefriend television series which titled "Pirate Trouble". Gullible's Travels DreamWorks bought a script in 2007 titled Gullible's Travels which would've been about a man who travels through time via a porta potty to find the woman he loves. It was written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman (Open Season, Chicken Little). InterWorld On June 16, 2007, author Neil Gaiman reported in his journal that DWA optioned his book, InterWorld, to be made into an animated feature film. But they decided not to get the film rights. Lancy, Rascal and Battly A direct-to-video film starring the animal henchmen trio from various DreamWorks animated films, showing a story with the trio as heroes, but it was scrapped due to unknown reasons. Revived later as a theatrical film in 2018 named Lancy, Rascal and Battly: The Three Animals. Punk Farm In April 2006, DreamWorks Animation had the rights to develop a computer animated film adaptation of the children's book of the same name by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons, and was eventually picked up by MGM Animation. but it was later cancelled. The Road to El Dorado 2 There were talks about doing a sequel to the animated remake of The Road to El Dorado, where it would've continued the adventures of Miguel, Tulio, and Chel going to find more rich land. But after the movie bombed, all plans for the sequel were cancelled. Tortoise vs. Hare Another project that was cancelled at DreamWorks' partnership with Aardman was a film adaptation of the Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare with the Tortoise and the Hare competing each other in any type of sports until they join forces to beat a human who hunts other animals''.'' The project was put to a halt due to script concerns. It would've starred Alec Baldwin, Orlando Jones, Brenda Blethyn, and Lee Evans. It would have been written by Karey Kirkpatrick and Mark Burton, executive produced by Peter Lord and Nick Park, and directed by Richard Goleszowski. It would've been released in 2003, but was moved to 2004 for Aardman to make room for their first film, Chicken Run. Truckers A film based on The Nome Trilogy books was in the works from 2001 to 2011. They acquired the film rights in 2001, and announced plans to combine all three books into a single film. It was to be directed by Andrew Adamson. In late 2008, Danny Boyle was attached to direct Truckers, but the project fell apart as "a victim of this economic crisis." The following year, the Slumdog Millionaire's Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy was hired to work on the project. Plans to move forward with DreamWorks' adaptation resurfaced in 2010 with the announcement that Legend of the Guardians screenwriter John Orloff would pen the script for director Anand Tucker. Tucker was later announced to direct the live-action/CGI remake of Trolls, before he was replaced by the original film's director Mike Mitchell. As of July 2018 no updates have surfaced. 2010s In the 2010 decade, several films were announced to be made that were to be released in the next 3-4 years following their announcements. Some of these films were eventually cancelled while others are claimed to be in development and waiting for a release. Most of these films were cancelled due to massive layoffs, creative differences, shake ups around the studio, and Comcast eventually buying DreamWorks in 2016. Alma A film based on the animated short Alma was in the works in October 2010. The short's director Rodrigo Blaas is again set to direct the feature, with Guillermo del Toro executive producing it. In November 2011, it was reported that the studio has hired Megan Holley, a writer of Sunshine Cleaning, to write a script. Del Toro, who is also helping with the story and the design work, said in June 2012 that the film was in visual development. As of July 2018 however, there have been no recent developments regarding the film's production. An untitled Blue-footed Booby film Writer/director Karey Kirkpatrick was developing an animated film about the blue-footed booby birds. The basic idea would've been about a dim-witted blue-footed booby who learns that it "isn't the size of your brain, but the size of your heart that counts." As of July 2018 no other news emerge following that announcement. B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations An animated film about ghosts was in the works in mid-2010 that would've starred Seth Rogen, Matt Bomer, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray, Octavia Spencer, Rashida Jones, and Jennifer Coolidge. It was to be directed by Tony Leondis and written by Tom Wheeler from a story by Leondis. It was about two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world’s elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet’s greatest haunter. It was to be released on June 5, 2015, but was pulled from its release to avoid competition with Disney•Pixar's Inside Out. As of July 2018, no updates have emerged from the project. In 2015, Leondis later moved from DreamWorks to Sony Pictures Animation to develop his next film, The Emoji Movie. Drafted Ducks In 2016, DreamWorks were in the talks with adult animation pioneer John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, to produced a hand-drawn adult animated comedy film, that would've be inspired by classic war-time cartoons, which would be set place in the World War II in an alternate world of anthropomorphic animals, which follows two foul-mouthed Ren and Stimpy-alike ducks who are chosen for the army. It would've be DreamWorks' first adult animated film since 1989's Albedo. It would star the voices of Seth MacFarlane and Rachael MacFarlane. It was planned to be scheduled for its release dates of around 2020s, but however in 2018, the reason for the project to be canceled is due to Kricfalusi's recent sexual abuse allegations. Flawed Dogs A movie based on Berkeley Breathed's book Flawed Dogs was in the works that would've been written and directed by Noah Baumbach. As of July 2018 no news have emerged since 2013. Gil's All Fright Diner In December 2009, it was reported that the studio had set screenwriters Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris (Kung Fu Panda) to write a film adaptation of the book, Gil's All Fright Diner with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct the feature. In 2011, the book's author A. Lee Martinez wrote on his blog that he was working with DreamWorks on a project based on an original idea, and not on Gil's All Fright Diner. In March 2013, Martinez expressed uncertainty for any film adaptation: "Your guess is as good as mine. It's all a matter of convincing someone with the clout necessary to make it happen." As of July 2018 no updates have emerged from the project since 2013. Hop In 2006, DreamWorks began production on Hop. Planned in 2009, the film centered on E.B., the Easter Bunny's son who'd rather drum in a band than be like his father and runs away to Hollywood where he meets and befriends a human who is out of work and helps him in his journey. The film was cancelled by DreamWorks, but in 2007, the film was revived by Illumination Entertaiment and released on April 1, 2011. Imaginary Enemies In 2010, DreamWorks Pictures announced they were going to make their fourth live-action/animated project (following Bee Movie and the The Smurfs live-action/CGI duology). The project was to be told from the point of view of the imaginary friends who had long been used as scapegoats by unscrupulous children looking for someone else to blame for their misdeeds. Eventually fed up, those imaginary people come looking for some payback when the kids are grown up. Screenwriters Joe Syracuse and Lisa Addario wrote the script, but as of July 2018, no other updates have been announced. Larrikins Larrikins was an animated film that was in development between 2010 and 2017. It was an animated musical that was to be directed by Tim Minchin (which would've been his directorial debut) and Chris Miller from a script by Harry Cripps. The project was about a desert-dwelling bilby named Perry who leaves his home under a rock to go on a roadtrip with a music band in Australia that would've starred Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, and other Australian talent, with songs written by Minchin. It was originally set for release on February 16, 2018. However, while DreamWorks didn't confirm its cancellation, several crew member revealed its cancellation on their personal blogs, this includes character designer Peter de Seve. Minchin wrote on his blog, Lidsville A 3D animated musical film adaptation of the Lidsville TV series was in the works. It was going to be directed by Conrad Vernon and scored by Alan Menken, who would also be writing the songs with Glenn Slater. Menken stated that, "The songs will be an homage to '60s psychedelic concept-album rock." But Lidsville creator Sid Krofft said in a June 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal that, "It was going to be like Hair or Tommy, a full-blown musical. But they went in a strange direction and it just didn't work." Maintenance Going with a comic book direction, the company bought the film rights to the comic book series Maintenance from Oni Press. The film rights were first acquired by Warner Bros. as a McG film, but DreamWorks then got rights after WB dropped out. But as of July 2018, the company has yet to do anything with the comic rights. Me and My Shadow/Edgar Wrights' Shadows On December 10, 2010, DreamWorks Animation announced a project titled Me and My Shadow was scheduled for a March 2013 release date. The plot involved Shadow Stan who serves a shadow to Stanley Grubb, the world's most boring human. Wanting to live a more exciting life, he escapes the "Shadow World" and takes control of Stanley. WithMark Dindal slated as the film's director, the film was meant to combine traditional and CGI animation. In January 2012, Bill Hader, Kate Hudson, and Josh Gad had joined the voice cast. Additionally, Alessandro Carloni had replaced Dindal as director and the release date was pushed back to November 2013. However, in June 2012, its release date was pushed back to March 7, 2014 with Mr. Peabody & Sherman taking its November 2013 release. In February 2013, Me and My Shadow went back into development with Mr. Peabody & Sherman re-assuming its original March 2014 release. On November 19, 2015, Edgar Wright had signed to direct and co-write an animated feature for DreamWorks, in which the story was described as a "new take on a previously developed concept about shadows." In an interview with Collider published in June 2017, Wright explained that he and David Walliams had wrote three drafts, but the project is in limbo due to management changes at DreamWorks Animation. Mumbai Musical Former Disney animator and director Kevin Lima pitched to DreamWorks a Bollywood-styled musical based on The Ramayana, but told through the point of view of its monkeys. It would've follow two common monkeys who become unlikely heroes in a last ditch effort to stop an ancient, thought-to-be-mythical demon from conquering the world. Going through multiple titles, Monkeys of Bollywood, Monkeys on Mumbai and Bollywood Superstar Monkey, the film was to feature music by Stephen Schwartz and A. R. Rahman, who's also the film's composers, with the script written by David Sussman. The film was originally planned for a release in December 18, 2015, the release dates kept getting pushed back to the point of being put back into DreamWorks Animation films that are in development. Lima revealed that DreamWorks quietly cancelled the film. In an interview with Den of Geeks UK, he said, The Pig Scrolls On April 8, 2010, Pajiba.com reported that the studio was developing an animated feature film based on The Pig Scrolls. As a possible directing job, Barry Sonnenfeld was tasked to develop the film, while Kirk DeMicco wrote the most recent script revision. Romeo and Juliet: A Mouse Story An animated film adapted from Williams Shakspear's classic, but being retold by anthromorphic mice, was planned for its 2013 release, until there are no news about the film updated. Rumblewick Another movie based on a book that was in the works at the studio was the book My Unwilling Witch (The Rumblewick Letters) that would've been simply titled Rumblewick. It was to be directed by Tim Johnson and written by Jim Herzfeld. Sequels to ''Shark Tale, Hail Arthur, Monsters vs. Aliens, Megamind, Rise of the Guardians, Hotel for Dogs, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Puss in Boots and Captain Underpants In April 2011, Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that there's currently no plans to make sequels to their parody animated films, this would include ''Shark Tale, Hail Arthur, Monsters vs. Aliens and Megamind. He went on, saying that these films "all shared an approach and tone and idea of parody, and did not travel well internationally. We don't have anything like that coming on our schedule now." With Rise of the Guardians, the creators expressed hope that the strong A- Cinemascore average for the film and an enthusiastic word-of-mouth would gather support for the "chance to make a sequel or two." This includes co-producer and author of the book it was based on, The Guardians of Childhood, William Joyce, said he was in talks with the studio. He recalled, "There is something that we are proposing that we hope they will want to do." Although no other info has been revealed since June 2018. With Hotel for Dogs, TBD With A Series of Unfortunate Events, TBD With Puss in Boots, several drafts for a sequel were already completed as confirmed by executive producer Guillermo del Toro, with original director Chris Miller wanting to take Puss onto an exotic adventure. By April 2014, Antonio Banderas confirmed that a sequel had entered into production and was later revealed two months later as Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives & 40 Thieves, slated to be released on November 2, 2018. In August 2014, the release date was pushed back a month later (December 21, 2018). But by January 2015, following the massive restructuring at DreamWorks Animation, several films were pulled off their scheduled release dates; this included a sequel to Puss in Boots, along with releasing only two films a year as opposed to three or four. Banderas revealed in March 2015 that the script itself was under restructuring as well, and mentioned that Shrek and Donkey from Shrek might make a cameo in the film, showing that both films would take place at the same time. As of July 2018, no new updates have popped up following the restructuring in 2015. With Captain Underpants, TBD The Tibet Code When DreamWorks Animation made its then-newest division called Oriental DreamWorks in China, a film was in the works that was based on the Chinese action novel The Tibet Code. However, its production was shut down due to problems at Oriental DreamWorks and the company could not come to terms with the producer who owned the rights to the book. The Ugly Duckling Planned as a CGI loose adaptation of Hans Christen Anderson's fairy tale, which follows a odd-looking duckling who discovers himself that he's not even part of the ducks upon being teased and picked on by other ducklings, and sets out for his long quest to find his real family. The film would've been directed and produced by TBD and featured voice talents such as TBD. TBD Vivo In 2010, DreamWorks began production on Vivo. Based off a concept by Peter Barsocchini, the film centered on a monkey obsessed with music who embarks on a dangerous adventure from Havana, Cuba, to Miami, Florida. The film was cancelled by DreamWorks, but in 2016, the film was revived by Sony Pictures Animation with Kirk DeMicco as the director, and a November 6, 2020 release date. Wonderland 2 TBD Zodiac Another animated feature film that was going to be made by Oriental DreamWorks, their first animated feature was going to be called Zodiac about a anthropomorphic kitty in a modern society with anthropomorphic animals trying to make sure he becomes the first cat on the Chinese zodiac while also discovering a sinister conspiracy, set to be released in 2014. However while the film's storyboards were released online, the film's production was canceled due to some problems at Oriental DreamWorks. Live-action shorts and films 1950s-1960s Aloha to Hawaii TBD 1970s-1980s The Beast's Castle A comedic adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's well known fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, was planned to be released in 1992. Due to Walt Disney Pictures' 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, it got cancelled. 1990s-2000s My Little Pony Planned in 2006 as a live-action/CGI hybrid film of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise to be released around 2013 to honer its 30th anniversary, with a joint effort of Paramount Pictures and Hasbro Studios. This film would've be inspired by the generation one of My Little Pony, in which it was revealed a story which would've been about how three kids who enters the fantasy world of Pony Land, where they befriend colorful talking ponies. However, in the beginning of 2010s, when the My Little Pony franchise was retooled after My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic premiered, plans for the film were cancelled in 2011, a year after the show debuted. A few years later, Lionsgate released an animated film based on My Little Pony in 2017. 2010s TBD Baldi’s Basics In 2018, DreamWorks got the attention to an indie horror game Baldi’s Basics in Education and Learning, and planned to acquire the film rights to developed a live-action movie adaptation, and would've starred either Tim Curry or Luke Evans as Baldi. However, the film got canceled after Spielberg got a call from the game creator Micah McGonogal, who refused DreamWorks to produce a film based on his game. 2020s Television Animation Shrek: The Series TBD Live-action TBD Video games Others